Adarq.org

Training
FS 2x3x100 (PR)
BS 3x6x90
BP 3x6x75
pushups 2x10
cable rowz 2x10

Bodyweight: 84kg

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfLQDtDstvk" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfLQDtDstvk</a>

I'm halfway to my front squat goal now - another 20kg left til i'm using 1.5*BW for triples on front squats with my ideal bodyweight of 80kg.

I felt very weak today after the warmup with 100kg for a double on backsquats felt kinda heavy, but i forced myself to go ahead and front squat a PR after the backsquat warmups anyway. Feels good man. On a good day I would smoked it with perfect form, but today I was just happy to get my reps in. I think I have a couple more weeks of adding 5kg/week - and then i'll switch to 2.5kg/week. If i'm ambitious i'll hit 110kg by the end of August.

I owe a big one to Lance. I wouldn't have thought to break at the knees first on backsquats - it was the last thing i would have tried unless he had asked me to. So today I tried it even though i was skeptical. But im happy to say it has solved my good morning problem once for all. Even towards the end of the set with fatigue setting in, when I would have gotten folded over out of the bottom, it didn't happen, my positions were good even on the limit reps. I'm so blown away what a difference it makes.

Afterwards I analysed the video carefully, breaking at the knees first on backsquats (and fronts too for that matter) means my knee position is further forward; this SOMEHOW preserves my back angle out of the bottom of the hole, improving my positions at the bottom all the way to the top. It's genius. It takes an experienced person to make a suggestion like that and i'm very grateful to have received the wisdom. Thank you so much Lance

Ah Pendlay <3 - i'll try it out tomorrow on backsquats and see how it goes. Thanks for digging that thread up

Played some pickup basketball today - was disciplined and only played 2-3 games -  left the gym feeling BETTER than when i entered it. That's the sweet spot of doing just enough enough to have fun, but not too much that you get fatigued and can't recover well enough to train properly!

I've heard it said a few times that we don't want to turn the deadlift into a squat. But if the start position of a deadlift looks like a (quarter) squat - why is this bad exactly?

I found out last night I can pull with better form using a slightly wider stance (sumo) and maintain a flatter back from start to finish. With conventional I struggle big time to have a flat back from the start of the pull. The only caveat is that my hips are a bit lower so it looks somewhat like a squat. Now for me the option is not to deadlift at all or to pull squatish with a wider stance. Given that i'm already squatting would you it be redundant to pull this way?

Lance what about Pendlay Rows? Every single powerlifter and bodybuilder says they're essential, can Raptor do those too?

I can't help notice you're not taking the advice you're getting. Would be a lot better for you and those who are helping you if you tried some of the things they've suggested. Leave the ego behind, no one told you to do a double with 225. I think the suggestion was to work back to a weight you can do with good form (even if it's 135) and do sets with that. Then once you've got form down well, just progress up from there. Lance has given you some tips on sitting back - and using a box squat, get that down first.

In the meantime, if you can DL well (prove it show a video), you should probably focus on that as your main lift while you're learning to squat properly. 

I know i'm not as strong or as knowledgeable as other folk helping you but it's probably more of a waste of their time to help you when you aren't listening imho.

Layne Norton Training Series + Full Power/Hypertrophy Routine


Day 1: Upper Body Power Day
Pulling Power Movement: Bent over or Pendlay rows
3 sets of 3-5 reps
Assistance Pulling movement: Weighted Pull ups
2 sets of 6-10 reps
Auxiliary Pulling movement: Rack chins
2 sets of 6-10 reps
Pressing Power Movement: Flat dumbbell presses
3 sets of 3-5 reps
Assistance pressing movement: Weighted dips
2 sets of 6-10 reps
Assistance pressing movement: Seated dumbbell shoulder presses
3 sets of 6-10 reps
Auxiliary curling movement: Cambered bar curls
3 sets of 6-10 reps
Auxiliary extension movement: Skull crushers
3 sets of 6-10 reps

Day 2: Lower Body Power Day
Pressing Power Movement: Squats
3 sets of 3-5 reps
Assistance pressing movement: Hack Squats
2 sets of 6-10 reps
Assistance extension movement: Leg extensions
2 sets of 6-10 reps
Assistance pulling movement: Stiff legged deadlifts
3 sets of 5-8 reps
Assistance pulling/curling movement: Glute ham raises or lying leg curls
2 sets of 6-10 reps
Auxiliary calf movement: Standing calf raise
3 sets of 6-10 reps
Auxiliary calf movement: Seated calf raise
2 sets of 6-10 reps

Day 3: Rest

Day 4: Back and Shoulders Hypertrophy Day
Pulling Power Exercise speed work: Bent over or Pendlay rows
6 sets of 3 reps with 65-70% of normal 3-5 rep max
Hypertrophy pulling movement: Rack chins
3 sets of 8-12 reps
Hypertrophy pulling movement: Seated cable row
3 sets of 8-12 reps
Hypertrophy pulling movement: Dumbbell rows or shrugs bracing upper body against an incline bench
2 sets of 12-15 reps
Hypertrophy pulling movement: Close grip pulldowns
2 sets of 15-20 reps
Hypertrophy shoulder movement: Seated dumbbell presses
3 sets of 8-12 reps
Hypertrophy shoulder movement: Upright rows
2 sets of 12-15 reps
Hypertrophy shoulder movement: Side lateral raises with dumbbells or cables
3 sets of 12-20 reps

Day 5: Lower Body Hypertrophy Day
Lower Body Power Exercise speed work: Squats
6 sets of 3 reps with 65-70% of normal 3-5 rep max
Hypertrophy pressing movement: Hack squats
3 sets of 8-12 reps
Hypertrophy pressing movement: Leg presses
2 sets of 12-15 reps
Hypertrophy extension movement: Leg extensions
3 sets of 15-20 reps
Hypertrophy pulling movement: Romanian deadlifts
3 sets of 8-12 reps
Hypertrophy curling movement: Lying leg curls
2 sets of 12-15 reps
Hypertrophy curling movement: Seated leg curls
2 sets of 15-20 reps
Hypertrophy calf movement: Donkey calf raises
4 sets of 10-15 reps
Hypertrophy calf movement: Seated calf raises
3 sets of 15-20 reps

Day 6: Chest and Arms Hypertrophy Day
Pressing Power Exercise speed work: Flat dumbbell presses
6 sets of 3 reps with 65-70% of normal 3-5 rep max
Hypertrophy pressing movement: Incline dumbbell presses
3 sets of 8-12 reps
Hypertrophy pressing movement: Hammer strength chest press
3 sets of 12-15 reps
Hypertrophy fly movement: Incline cable flyes
2 sets of 15-20 reps
Hypertrophy curling exercise: Cambered bar preacher curls
3 sets of 8-12 reps
Hypertrophy curling exercise: Dumbbell concentration curls
2 sets of 12-15 reps
Hypertrophy curling exercise: Spider curls bracing upper body against an incline bench
2 sets of 15-20 reps
Hypertrophy extension exercise: Seated tricep extension with cambered bar
3 sets of 8-12 reps
Hypertrophy extension exercise: Cable pressdowns with rope attachment
2 sets of 12-15 reps
Hypertrophy extension exercise: Cable kickbacks
2 sets of 15-20 reps

Day 7: Rest
Keep in mind this workout would be for someone who is relatively adapted to higher frequency and volume, so you may want to cut out an assistance/auxiliary exercise on each day to start until your body adapts.

I was watching Damien (ex poster on this forum) bench off his youtube channel

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uydQsf_Axw" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uydQsf_Axw</a>

and I can't help but think i'm going somewhere wrong in my training. We had pretty much the same bench at the start of the year, I was benching 90 for 10 sets of 3, and he was benching I think a max of 100. I have a similar frame to him, he's leaner than me, probably weighs close to 90kg to my ~84kg. I don't get it, how has he added 10kg to his max. This fucking sucks. I need to find that magic program which will have me repping out 100kg

Training
SQ 1x95, 3x6x85
OHP 2x2x60,3x5x50,1x8x45
CURLZ 3x8x32.5

Back felt better today but still not 100% - so went conservative on the squats. Even at this light a weight, I concentrated extra hard on having perfect form and not aggravating my back and I found myself exhausted by the end. That's good. I want perfect form. Observations - set 1 was picture perfect, set 2 wasn't as good, and set 3 wasn't as good as 2. So I have a problem with muscular endurance it seems. It's probably my leverages working against me but i'd like to turn a weakness into a strength. See next paragraph.

I read on pendlays forum that people who have trouble getting folded over out of the bottom of a squat should do a lot of these so called pendlay rows. Now i've never done rows, but if that's fixed the same problem for other people, it may just help me too. So i'll try do those on mondays.

OHP - made no progress this week, which makes me think my programming for OHP is inadequate. So today I went with sets across with 5s and will progress those weekly. I need a lot of rest between OHP sets otherwise I can't do many reps. Now the interesting thing is I never need as much rest for bench press. Which makes me question whether this is to do with muscular endurance not of the upper body but rather my lower back/abs. But if my muscular weakness is lower back and abs - then it would follow I need more rest during my squat sets too.  Something to think about perhaps.

I'm adding curls on the middle workout and will make sure they are done every week.

Bodyweight: 83.9kg